The use of X-rays to assist in medical diagnosis has led to a rapid improvement in the ability of the medical profession to diagnose numerous kinds of illnesses and injuries. However, in recent years there has been a growing concern that the cumulative effect of X-rays on medical personnel will increase the risk of cancer. This concern has resulted in numerous attempts to develop radiation-protective devices for use by both medical personnel and the patient.
While these devices effectively protect the wearer, these devices cannot be worn by the medical personnel when X-rays are taken under surgical conditions. Currently, when an X-ray is required during surgery such as in a hip pinning and other pinning procedures, the surgeon and the supporting staff do not wear radiation protective garments because their extreme weight rapidly fatigue the personnel during surgery. Additionally, present devices cannot be appropriately sterilized and thus are not usable in the sterile environment of the surgery room.
It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide an X-ray-protective surgical garment which can be used within the sterile conditions of an operating room.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray-protective surgical garment which is sterile.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray-protective surgical garment in which the X-ray-protective material may be removed without breaking the sterile field.
A correlated object of the present invention is to provide an X- ray-protective surgical garment in which the X-ray-protective material may be added thereto without breaking the sterile field.
A related object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray-protective surgical garment in which the X-ray-protective material can be worn for the desired operation and then removed without requiring the wearer to don a new garment.